New Book from Sustainable Places Co-director Susan Baker

Co-director of the Sustainable Places Research Institute, Professor Susan Baker, has recently published the second edition of her book, Sustainable Development, as part of the Routledge Introductions to Environment Series. Susan Baker is a Professor in the Cardiff School of Social Sciences. Her research looks at the interrelationship between social and ecological processes, particularly in relation to climate change and biodiversity loss.

The current focus on sustainable development has opened up debates surrounding our relationship with the natural world, about what constitutes social progress and about the character of development, both in the Global North and the Global South. The promotion of sustainable futures is taking on a new urgency in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The second edition of Sustainable Development, which has been extensively revised and updated, benefits from the addition of three new chapters: sustainable development in China; the governance of sustainable development; and sustainable production and consumption. Climate change and biodiversity management have also been expanded into full chapters.

The text explores how the international community is responding to the challenge of sustainable development. It also investigates the prospect for, and barriers to, the promotion of sustainable development in high-consumption societies of the industrialised world, from the USA and the EU to the economies of transition in Eastern and Southern Asia.  The book considers the global impact of China’s industrial boom as well as how Chinese investments are shaping the prospects for sustainable development on the African continent. This global coverage is balanced by investigating how local action, ranging from the transition towns movement in the UK to the Green Belt movement in Kenya, can contribute to the pursuit of sustainable development.

Susan Baker commenting on the publication of her new book this September, said

“I am delighted to have produced the second edition of Sustainable Development which provides an up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of the issues surrounding the promotion of sustainable development.”

Professor Robyn Eckersley, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia, said

"For those seeking a clear, comprehensive and accessible introduction to sustainable development, look no further. Susan Baker’s second edition of Sustainable Development covers all the important topics and debates from a truly global perspective. It should be essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the greatest challenge of our time."